Jubilee 2025 Pilgrims of Hope Denver to Rome

We depart on an overnight flight from Denver to Rome. Dinner and breakfast will be served on the flight. The flight departs in the late afternoon or evening. Add-on flights and optional premium economy and business class rates are available upon request. (Please note: specific seat assignments are not possible with group air. You may choose to book your own air if seat location is a priority.)

Welcome to Italy! We arrive in the Eternal City, and our professional English and Spanish-speaking tour guides greet us at the airport and assists with luggage and boarding our bus. En route to Rome, we stop at St. Paul Outside the Walls, where we walk through the first Holy Door, which is opened only during the Jubilee Year, and we celebrate Mass. We continue to the nearby Tre Fontane Convent to see where St. Paul was beheaded. We check into our hotel, and the rest of the day is at leisure to acclimate to a new time zone. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

After breakfast, we visit St. Peter’s Basilica, walking through the second Holy Door of our pilgrimage, where we celebrate Mass. (TBC) St. Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in Christendom, built on the site where St. Peter was martyred. Unsurpassed in beauty, a monument to the long history of the Catholic Church to which pilgrims come from around the world, St Peter’s is the grandest of the world’s churches. Our visit includes headsets, so each pilgrim can benefit from a clear explanation of what we see. Today, we join Pope Francis and other church leaders in the Corpus Christi Procession. Dinner and overnight in Rome. (B.L.D).

Following an early breakfast, we visit the church of San Pietro in Vincoli to see the chains that bound St. Peter in Prison and also see Michelangelo’s statue of Moses. We continue with a visit to the nearby St. Clemente Church. Then continue to the Church of San Marcello al Corso to see the miraculous Crucifix, which in 1522 was carried in procession through the city’s districts to end the ‘Great Plague’ of Rome. This Crucifix became a symbol of the faith to end Covid 19. Opposite the fountain is the church of St. Vincent and Anastasius at Trevi, containing the embalmed hearts of 22 Popes. To the left of the altar is the complete list of the Pope’s names and their relics within the church. In the afternoon, we start with a tour of Christian Rome, including a visit to St. Mary Major, the third Holy Door, and the Basilica of St. John the Lateran, the fourth and final Holy Door. We proceed to the Holy Stairs. Mass will be celebrated. Dinner and overnight in Rome.

Following an early breakfast, we see the Church of St. Philip Neri, the first pilgrim, Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, Gesu Church, we see the rooms of St. Ignatius and Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, where St. Catherine of Siena is buried, and Trevi Fountain. In the afternoon, we drive out to visit the Catacombs, where the early Christians buried their dead, and where we celebrate Holy Mass. We stop at the Chapel of Quo Vadis and the Church of San Sebastian. The rest of the afternoon is spent at leisure exploring on our own. Overnight in Rome

Following breakfast, we depart for Orvieto, where we celebrate Mass at the Duomo, the gothic Cathedral built to house the holy relics of the Eucharistic Miracle of Orvieto. This miracle occasioned the proclamation of the Feast of Corpus Christi and inspired St. Thomas Aquinas to write the famous hymn “Tantum Ergo.” We enjoy lunch in a local restaurant with a tasting of the Orvieto and Orvieto Classico wine which this region is famous for. In the afternoon, we proceed to Assisi. We stop to visit Santa Maria of the Angels Basilica on the way. Dinner and overnight at our hotel in Assisi. (B.Special lunch.D).

This morning, we tour the Basilica of St. Francis and celebrate Mass. We see Giotto’s frescoes representing the life of St. Francis, then the lower Basilica and the Tomb of St. Francis, we walk to visit the Church of St. Clare to see her tomb. We explore the Chapel of San Damiano, where St. Francis received his call to rebuild the Church and where St. Clare lived and died. We visit the Sanctuary of the Spoliation to see the tomb of Blessed Carlo Acutis in the Church of St. Mary Major. Dinner and overnight in Assisi.

We board our motorcoach and head for Florence. We explore the city, which is considered by many to be the cultural heart of Italy. We visit some of the important sites of Florence, including the Duomo, the Baptistery designed by Giotto (outside views), and Santa Croce, the church where Dante, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci are buried, and where we celebrate Mass. Also, we visit the Accademia with its famous statue of David by Michelangelo and the Church of St. Ambrose. Dinner is at leisure. Overnight in the Florence area.

After breakfast, we board the motorcoach and travel to Padua to see the Basilica of St. Anthony with bronze works by Donatello. We celebrate Mass at the Basilica of St. Anthony and see Capella degli Scrovegni with Giotto masterpieces. Dinner and overnight in Padua.

This morning we drive to Venice where we enjoy a full day in Venice, including a walking tour of St. Mark’s Basilica, where we celebrate Mass, see the Square, the Doge’s Palace, and the Bridge of Sighs. The afternoon is a time to explore the city on our own. We have a Farewell Dinner in Padua at a local restaurant. Overnight in Padua. (B. Special dinner).

We depart for Venice airport and our return flight to the USA.